Number four on the list is: “A Movie I Loathe.” Again, this is a bit of a pathetic addition to a meme that should be about celebrating what’s good and loved, but… I’m on it. I saw Braveheart only once, so this doesn’t qualify as something I’ve revisited and studied, or given every chance, but the reason why I so disdain it took only the one viewing.

It came out during my final quarter at UCSD, when I was working nearly full-time, involved in five shows, and going to classes only when the rest of my schedule permitted. It’s a miracle I even graduated, really. We were all pretty busy, but being young and all, we still put movie-going as a priority, so we’d squeeze them in when we could, which would frequently be in the afternoons. Thus, I saw this sandwiched between work and my call for the show I was in that night. The point I’m laboring to make is that I’d really wanted to see it; I had always been a big fan of Mel Gibson’s. The film was essentially fine at first, if a bit overwrought, and if one could suspend the disbelief of Gibson having miscast himself about 15-20 years younger than he was.

What was jarring, however, was the portrayal of Prince Edward. We’re to understand, per the movie and most likely from the historical accounts, that the prince was essentially useless. It’s a common theme that due to inbreeding and sheer luck of the draw, the heir to the throne is not suited for it. There are then behind-the-scenes machinations to take the title away from him, or a strong, charismatic woman to whom he is betrothed who will become the true power behind the throne. That’s basically what’s happening here with Princess Isabella.

But this film goes one step further, portraying Edward as extremely foppish, primping and giggling girlishly just about every time we see him with his extremely buff and handsome “man-in-waiting.” The implication is clear; he’s gay, and it’s that which makes him useless. Because truly, homosexuals have no capacity for responsibility or power or focusing on anything other than their clothes and their boy-toys. Now, this could possibly be backed-up by historical accounts; I don’t know and it’s not actually important.

Because where this became impossible to swallow was a scene where the King becomes so impatient with the Prince and his lover that he takes hold of the boy, picking him up and tossing him bodily out the window of the castle. They’re obviously high up. The boy has clearly been thrown carelessly to his death, his value about that of a used tissue, and it’s done with all the comic effect of a Monty Python sketch. In fact, the audience with which we saw it laughed heartily while Desha and I exchanged shocked glances.

A friend of mine recently tried to defend the scene, stating that the point of it all was to portray the King as a dick, and to show what little regard he had for human life. I don’t buy it. Even if I did, it would be shoddy and cheap film-making. At the time, I suspected that Mel Gibson was a raging homophobe. I’m pretty certain history has established him well as, at the very least, in desperate need of sensitivity training, and this piece is an embarrassment in Oscar’s cabinet. I truly do loathe it, and there was no other film that was even a possible alternate for this post.

On a lighter note… Lara is probably talking about something she loves. That should be far more fun to dwell on!